EP: A Day To Remember – Attack of the Killer B-Sides

The first thing to note about Attack of the Killer B-sides is how lightweight it appears to be as a release. Of the four tracks here two are cover versions (both of which have appeared on previous releases) and another is just an acoustic version of a previously-released song. As a result there is only one song that fans of A Day To Remember probably haven’t already heard and you can’t help but wonder what value for money this represents as a purely musical proposition.

It’s worth noting however, that this record is a green 7″ vinyl, and comes as a package along with a pretty cool limited edition t-shirt. You get the sense that it was designed to act as as a collectors item rather than a serious stand-alone release.

All that aside, ‘Right Where You Want Me To Be’ kicks things off in pleasant enough fashion and its bouncing, super-infectious chorus demonstrates why ADTR can pack venues across Europe and the States at the moment. Some old fogeys like me might question whether this is basically just Drive Thru Records-style pop punk with some shouting in the background but there is enough going on here to make it an enjoyable, if perhaps slightly one-dimensional listen.

The band dont particularly cover themselves in glory on either of the covers, ‘Since U Been Gone’ in particular is a pretty sedate plod through a song which wasn’t really that good to begin with, and although ‘Over my Head (Cable Car)’ suits the band’s style better, the whole things feels rather formulaic and made me want to listen to ‘I’m Made of Wax Larry What are you Made out of’ just to remind myself of what this band CAN do. The acoustic version of ‘Another Song about the Weekend’ sounds just like the billion other pop-punk bands that have tried their and at an acoustic number, all uber-American accent and musings on falling asleep with the lights on – thoroughly unremarkable.

Watch the video to ‘Since U Been Gone’ as covered by A Day To Remember:

This is a bit of a nothing-release, from a band who have previously delivered some really exciting stuff. Moreover, I’m left with an overwhelming feeling that Victory Records thought they could shift a few units without having to provide any new material of note, ADTR fans deserve better than this. If you like the look of the t-shirt or are a completist then you have probably ordered this already, elsewise I wouldn’t bother.

2/6

Sounds Like: Four Year Strong, Senses Fail, The Devil Wears Prada. Top Tracks: Right Where You Want Me To Be

A Day to Remember – Attack of the Killer B-Sides tracklisting:
Right Where You Want Me To Be
Since U Been Gone
Another Song About The Weekend (acoustic version)
Over My Head (Cable Car)